[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Trey on 14:14:48 04/06/07
In Reply to: Help me by giving me your opinion about .... posted by Trey Mitchell
Thanks for the help...
Toe and I went to Sadwoski first thing and didn't see much. Just a few Chimney Swifts and Cedar Waxwings. I saw a few warblers fly through but none stopped and perched for a look.
We decided to go to Black Point. On the way out we found a few warblers in the parking lot. B&W, Prairie and Palm. On the rocks we found a Spotted Sandpiper, Brown and White Pelicans and Double Crested Cormorants.
Toe was looking for a warbler in the bushes when I shouted "Duck", Toe ducked. I said, "no DUCK".
He ducked again...
Anyway, I spotted a lone duck flying North over the water on the South side of the jetty. It landed on the water about 300-400 yards away. As it was flying I got a good look at the wings and saw no outstanding features, such as contrasting white which should be present on a Shoveler. The bird wasn't particularly dark, but more on the pale side.
Toe put his scope on it and said "Canvasback", I said, "no way". Sure enough it looked like a Canvasback to me. Unfortunately I didn't try and take a photo due to the distance and the overcast skies. I wish now that I would have. I debated the bird with Toe for a minute and while we looked in the guide for other possibilities, the bird flew and we lost it.
We both had good looks at the image in the scope and believe it could not have been anything else but a Canvasback. The head and neck were darker than the body and it had the Canvasback profile. The bill was black and didn't have the wide look at the tip like a Shoveler. The bird had a long neck and held its head high the entire time it was observed on the water.
The body/back was paler than the head and tail, but didn't appear really bright or there didn't seem to be a lot of contrast between it and the head and neck, but there was a definite difference. The tail was dark compared to the back/body of the bird also.
I am confident that even just by the profile of the bird it was a Canvasback. With the profile being what it was and the shades of the birds plumage we believe it was a female Canvasback.
I just wanted to have a few people suggest that ID could be made using the profile since that is the strongest evidence we have for the birds ID.
We also saw several Red-breasted Mergansers, Royal Terns, Laughing Gulls and on the way back to the parking lot we found two Downy Woodpeckers on the other side of the channel near the boat storage building.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]